Action movie superstar Sylvester Stallone told cinemagoers in Cannes on Friday that he never expected to make it in the film industry due to an accident at birth that caused him to slur his words - now one of his more celebrated trademarks.

The U.S. actor, 72, rocketed to fame in 1976 with his Oscar-winning boxing movie "Rocky" and went on to become one of Hollywood's biggest action stars through the "Rocky" and "Rambo" and film franchises. But Stallone said that when he was starting out, his speech impediment had stumped filmmakers and fellow actors like "Terminator" star Arnold Schwarzenegger.